Platte County doesn’t plan to let losses hinder development. Quite the opposite mindset exists for a roster short on varsity experience but long on expectations with the postseason approaching.
Platte County senior Daniel Bunge hits a serve in a singles match during a dual with Oak Park on Wednesday at Platte County High School.
Park Hill South handed the Pirates their second dual loss of the season in a cold and windy afternoon Tuesday in Riverside. The Panthers earned a split of the six singles matches to escape with a 5-4 victory.
Platte County came right back on Wednesday and dominated Oak Park 8-1 in a home matchup and then placed third in the weekend’s 10-team Northland Invitational.
“It’s good to play those good teams and sometimes lose to them so you can come out and win the matches that matter more,” Platte County senior Daniel Bunge said. “And I feel like we’re a little more motivated whenever we lose, can’t get complacent.”
Platte County senior Aaron Vaughan hits a forehand in a singles match during a dual with Oak Park on Wednesday at Platte County High School.
Platte County returned only two starters from the first playoff team in program history with Bunge, fellow seniors Aaron Vaughan and Quentin Miller and juniors Paul Havemeier and Hayden Cook all becoming first-year contributors. Bunge and Miller play at No. 3 doubles, while Havemeier earned the No. 6 spot in singles The Pirates have gelled from the start with an 8-2 dual record and three solid tournament showings, including a team title at the Branson Doubles Invitational.
Against Oak Park, Platte County seven shuffled doubles teams, leaving only the No. 3 team intact.
Miller and Bunge were 8-3 winners, as were senior Jack Bralley and Cook at No. 2. Nichols teamed with Vaughan for the first time and turned in a 8-4 victory. The Pirates were 5-1 in singles with Havemeier turning in an 8-0 shutout at No. 6, and Nichols dropping just one game at No. 1.
The consistency from Miller and Bunge at No. 3 continues to play a huge role in the team success. The duo has not lost since dropping two straight in the Platte County Invitational on March 20.
“I think (the doubles partnership) has worked well because Quentin is incredible at tennis and really good at just killing other teams all the time,” Bunge said. “I don’t really have to do anything. He just smokes them, just hits winners all the time, and it’s great.”
Platte County junior Hayden Cook reaches out for a shot in a singles match during a dual with Oak Park on Wednesday at Platte County High School.
A day earlier, Platte County left the doubles portion of the dual with a 2-1 deficit.
Only Miller and Bunge were victorious (8-3 at No. 3). Nichols (No. 1), Vaughan (No. 4) and Havemeier (No. 6) were the Pirates’ winners in singles, but they came up one win short of turning the result in challenging weather scenario.
“The Park Hill South loss was actually a really interesting matchup because I’ve never coached or played in conditions that windy in my entire life,” Platte County coach Zach Keith said. “I think it was a good test for us to have compete in such adverse conditions against a really good team.”
Platte County finished the week with an 8-2 record in duals, and the lone losses have come to Class 3 schools — the first 6-3 against Park Hill. The Pirates go into a busy week with three Suburban Conference White Division matchups, and Monday’s home date with Grain Valley will likely decide the championship and the No. 1 seed for the Class 2 District 8 tournament.
In addition, Platte County will host Central (St. Joseph) in a dual originally scheduled for Thursday but pushed back almost a week due to inclement playing conditions.
The conference title will be the first goal for this year’s uniquely constructed lineup, but Bunge said none of the expectations have changed since the start of the season. The Pirates made a memorable run to last year’s team district championship before a quarterfinal playoff loss, but the season continued with Nichols earning his third straight trip to the Class 2 MSHSAA Championships and both doubles teams also advancing in what ended up the most successful year in program history.
The state doubles teams included Bralley — up to No. 2 from No. 4 in his third year as a starter — and even with all the replacements needed, this year’s lineup believes in equalling or bettering those results.
“The goal from as soon as I watched last season end was to be in the state championship this year so that’s been about the same all year — to be playing at the state championship as a team, be down at state individually,” Bunge said. “That’s still the goal.”
Northland Invitational
Platte County saw one impressive streak come to an end and another continue in a superlative team showing against mostly Class 3 competition.
Platte County junior Jack Bralley goes low at the net for a return shot in a singles match during a dual with Oak Park on Wednesday at Platte County High School.
Bunge and Miller ran their doubles winning streak to 17 straight and won the B doubles flight in the tournament, while Nichols suffered his first loss in nearly a month but still finished second in A singles. The tournament format calls for each team to enter two individuals into singles and two doubles teams with points awarded for top-eight finishers.
Platte County totaled 23 points and finished behind only Park Hill and Liberty — tied for first with 28.
“The guys played really well, and I was really proud of their individual performances,” Keith said.
This offered the first chance for Keith to potentially preview his postseason entries with decisions to be made due to the consistent use of seven players in duals this spring.
Bunge and Miller earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye before going 3-0 with all three wins by tight margins. That included an 8-7 (10-3) tiebreaker in the semifinals against Greyson Horwitz and Jack Lewis and then an 8-5 victory over Park Hill’s Jeremy Hernandez and Will Poole in the final.
“To be honest, it’s just really fun to watch those guys play and compete,” Keith said. “They are not your typical doubles team, and they present a lot of problems for their opponents.”
Nichols entered the A singles draw as the No. 3 seed, and after a dominant quarterfinal win, he avenged one of his two prior losses this season by topping Central’s Kevin Poggemiller in a tiebreaker.
In the championship, Liberty’s Spencer Weishaar prevailed in the tiebreaker to take the title.
Nichols’ only losses this season have come to Poggemiller, Weishaar and Blue Springs South’s Judson MacIntosh — all from Class 3 schools. The latter two qualified for state in singles last year.
“These are the types of matches (Gavin) needs to play in order to be prepared for a good run at the state tournament,” Keith said of Nichols, a medalist in two of his three trips to the Class 2 MSHSAA Tennis Championships.
Vaughan played B singles and also held the No. 3 seed but dropped his semifinal and third-place match, while Bralley and Cook went into A doubles unseeded and played their first significant amount of time together. After a quarterfinal loss, the Pirates’ Nos. 2 and 3 singles players topped Oak Park’s duo of Owen Boswell and Bryson Netherton to reach the fifth-place match, which Staley’s Cael Larocca and Tyler Bower won.
“Vaughan’s losses were both to really good players, and he played good tennis throughout the day,” Keith said. “(Cook and Bralley) are still trying to find their identity as a doubles teams the reps from the tournament really helped.”
